Hayao Miyazaki continues to work hard at 82 years old. The co-founder of Studio Ghibli has hinted at retirement on multiple occasions, but he remains active and has just released his latest film in Japan: “Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka” (How do you live?). However, despite much anticipation for this feature film, it was released almost as a surprise.
The promotion for “How do you live?” has been based on… no promotion at all. While a teaser poster was released, it is the only glimpse we have had of the film so far. No trailer, no sneak peek… nothing more has been revealed about the movie. Nevertheless, with its release in Japan, the first comments have emerged… and they are quite mixed.
What do critics think about How do you live?
Here are some of the comments that have emerged about “How do you live?” from those who have already had a glimpse of the film. As of now, we still don’t have a release date for the Western audience, but being a Studio Ghibli film, it is expected to be released sometime this year.
“There are the usual visual delights, such as cute yet eerie creatures, enticing food, and gravity-defying fantasies, mainly hand-drawn and moving with the fluidity and sense of weight that marks the work of the master animator.” – Matt Schley, BBC
“It features a powerful narrative from a thematic standpoint and relies on visual storytelling more than dialogue to convey its message. However, despite the potency of the themes it tackles, the film often feels overly predictable.” – Richard Eisenbeis, Anime News Network
“It’s a challenging work, and as it is written, I don’t think it will work for everyone. I’m not even sure if it worked for me. But this difficulty and ambiguity could be its greatest quality, the definitive showcase of Miyazaki’s talent, pure nuance and imagination.” – Matteo Watzky, Full Frontal
“The film carries a profound message for an unknown world and the young people who will have to live in it. If this is Miyazaki’s final film, I can only thank him for that message, and for his many decades of creating some of the world’s finest animated films.” – Noah Oskow, Unseen Japan
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